1. Technical Field
The present inventions relates to a procedure for the preparation of lead-acid batteries.
2. Discussion
Lead-acid batteries consist of cases in which plates provided with an active lead-based compound are inserted that, in conjunction with an electrolyte, are suitable for storing and discharging a positive and negative charge. This charge can be used through connector terminals.
While grid-type carriers were predominantly used in the past to locate/position the active compound, tube plates have been added in the course of time. The carrier frame in this case consists of lead rods (cores) located essentially in parallel and connected by footplates that are surrounded by plastic tubes, for example, woven plastic mesh/non-woven tubes. They can also be square or rectangular tube pockets, for example.
The manufacture of the active compounds is intrinsically known. A positive active compound is applied in paste form to the positive plates. Curing and drying steps ensure that the primary contents leady oxide, water and lead sulfate create tribasic lead sulfates and tetrabasic lead sulfates. Such methods are described, for example, in WO/2004/059772 A2. In EP 0949700, for example, a method is described in which lead plates cure and dry within three hours in a three-stage process. A membrane is used for this purpose. EP 1235287 also describes a method for curing positive lead-acid battery plates where operations are similarly conducted by means of a porous membrane.
U.S. 2004/0121233 describes a method in which a drying gas dries the plates. A very special drying temperature sequence must be followed for several hours.
The primary contents mentioned for the active compound, leady oxide, water and sulfuric acid, for example, are mixed to form a sticky lead paste. Said paste is applied onto/into the electrode carriers that take the form of grids, tube plates or similar.
A method for the further treatment of the pasted plates is described, for example, in EP 1886336. This method assumes that the plates are disposed in stacks lying immediately adjacent one to the other. The plates are dried to a desired final dampness by the application of overpressure or a vacuum at a pressure differential of more than 10 mbar by means of an oxygenated gas.
This method also requires considerable time. Using the known methods, a total of 24 to 36 hours must be included in the planning until the plates are sufficiently cured and dried to be installed.